Alex Carlen

Research reveals racist chants on rise in Israeli football – with Maccabi Tel Aviv the worst offenders Kick It Out Israel found 367 instances in the 2024-25 season – of those, 118 were observed in stands containing Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters

Israeli NGO has documented an alarming rise in racism among Israeli supporter groups, with Maccabi Tel Aviv top of the list. The “absence of a serious and effective effort" within Israel Football Association to combat racism should be of serious concern to UEFA. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

ICJ rules Israel’s ban on Unrwa and aid blockade violate international law The International Court of Justice says Israel has obligation to ensure and facilitate humanitarian relief to Palestinians

The ICJ has ruled that Israel’s Gaza aid blockade violates international law, citing its obligation to facilitate humanitarian relief for Palestinians.

Good news. demonstrates the potential power of collective action by players 👍.

Standing with Maccabi’s football hooligans against local police – is that what patriotism looks like now? | Jonathan Liew Tommy Robinson is said to be going to Villa Park as a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan. Do the politicians jumping on this bandwagon care what they are doing, asks Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew

column on robbie keane www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Maccabi v Hapoel called off by police after 'violent riots' The derby between Maccabi and Hapoel is cancelled before kick-off after police say

starmer is doing “everything he can” not about NHS waiting lists, the housing crisis or child poverty, but making sure violent thugs from Israel can run around birmingham launching racist attacks on football fans.
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans is a terrible decision – and a depressing one | Barney Ronay The idea that barring the Israeli club’s supporters from Villa Park will de-escalate a volatile situation just doesn’t stand up

A thread on Barney Ronay's article criticising the decision Birmingham City Council and supported by West Midlands police to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from traveling to Birmingham. It might be a depressing decision but it's not a terrible one. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

There is no talk of the deradicalisation of Israeli society after the genocide. IDF soldiers who, as recently as Saturday, were posting pictures of themselves burning down Palestinian homes and celebrating can freely return to the UK and live among us.

www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-idf...

The rate of civilian harm in Israeli strikes remains unprecedented.
In Trump's bombing campaign earlier this year the average was 2.07 civilian casualties per strike. In seven years of Saudi-led air raids the rate was 0.76.
In September, the average surged to over 32 civilian casualties per strike.

"The volte-face increasingly looks like the last act of a piece of political theatre that allowed UEFA’s senior leadership to signal its support for the people of Gaza, while avoiding taking any action to help them."

Read the analysis from @ncgeehan.bsky.social below ⬇️

fairsq.org/uefa-virtue-...

On reflection, obviously for #ReadingFc to even be in the mix this season is a massive overachievement but it does feel like the loss of Smith to Wrexham in January will be the difference between a positive season and a great one.

Badly lacked a cutting edge today. Think Monday is a must win but can’t see it myself #Readingfc

Solidarity ✊

Every single European policymaker knows this is Israel's intention and yet the arms keep flowing.

"Vietnam are promising to cut all their tariffs on US goods" reminds me of how Vietnam was forced to rename its "Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes" in the 1990s as a precondition for the US ending the trade embargo.

Here’s one key thing you should know about Trump’s shock to the world economy: it could work | James Meadway It’s hard to say if the president truly knows what he’s doing. But there is a precedent for the US causing short-term chaos and reaping long-term gain, says economist James Meadway

Agree with this. For all the talk of the US being in decline, it is the only global power capable of using the threat of economic (and actual) force to bend smaller nations to its will. For all the chaos, there's no reason to think it can't work.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

@fairsq.bsky.social has published a damning report, making the case for the external reform of FIFA. Co-director Nicholas McGeehan joins us to unpack the long history of systemic dysfunction - from its roots in patronage and cronyism to scandals surrounding recent World Cup hosts.

The folks at @fairsq.bsky.social have done truly fantastic work with the Substitute report, and this episode serves as just a taster!

Thanks so much to @ncgeehan.bsky.social for your time and to @alexcarlen.bsky.social for setting it up!

U.S. Strikes in Yemen Burning Through Munitions With Limited Success In just three weeks, the Pentagon has used $200 million worth of munitions in Operation Rough Rider against the Houthi militia, officials said.

In just three weeks, the Pentagon has dropped $200 million worth of munitions on Yemen.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/u...

Video footage appears to contradict Israeli account of Gaza medic killings The footage was reportedly filmed by a Palestinian paramedic killed by Israeli forces along with 14 others in March.

"Video footage appears to contradict Israeli account of Gaza medic killings.” www.bbc.com/news/article...

In a few days time that number could match the Palestinian death toll from the entirety of Operation Cast Lead (1,166–1,417).

When you consider the extent to which Cast Lead shocked and appalled global civil society in 2008-09, it underlines how the current genocide is on an utterly different scale

Massive couple of games for #readingfc this week starting tonight and then the small matter of potential EFL disqualification. There’s no world in which we should be competing for the playoffs this season, but now we are… 🙏

David Lammy asked about the death of a 17 year old in Israeli custody after he was kidnapped from the West Bank, responds by talking about Iran.

With ICE Out of Control, How Can the US Cohost the 2026 World Cup? The country has proven itself incapable of not abducting and imprisoning people entering it—boycotting US matches avoids putting teams, their families, and fans in danger.

Iran has qualified for the World Cup. How can they possibly send a team knowing their players could end up in an indefinite detention center for the crime of being Iranian? Why would it be different than what Trump's done to Iranian Alabama student Alireza Daroudi? www.thenation.com/article/worl...

Bodies of missing aid workers found in Gaza ‘mass grave’ following Israeli attacks | CNN The bodies of more than a dozen aid workers have been recovered in southern Gaza from what a United Nations agency described as a “mass grave,” a week after they went missing following attacks by Isra...

The bodies of more than a dozen aid workers have been recovered in southern Gaza from what a United Nations agency described as a "mass grave," a week after they went missing following attacks by Israeli forces.

US troops are a lot safer than the Yemeni civilians they are bombing.

Reading FC have 'full intention' of avoiding EFL suspension Reading Football Club have said they remain in close dialogue with the EFL and have the

I can’t make it to a game until 5th April so could we at least save disqualification until then.
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Okay I’ve finally deactivated X, hoping news on the protracted #Readingfc takeover reaches bluesky (or maybe I don’t).

UAE Brokers U.S. Recognition of Somaliland for Israeli Military Base Against Houthi Threats Donald Trump is set to recognize Somaliland as an independent state, a move that could reshape geopolitics in the Horn of Africa

www.watanserb.com/en/2025/03/2...

Dai Yongge: Reading owner disqualified and told to sell club by 4 April Reading owner Dai Yongge is given a deadline of 4 April to sell the club after he was disqualified under the EFL's Owners' and Directors' Test.

Reading FC now entering something of an end game. Either Dai Yongge sells up quickly or we head into the abyss.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Slight slip of the tongue from Lammy which was then slapped down by no10 and rowed back on doesn’t fill me with hope that Labour is shifting.

That said, given the horrors we’re anticipating the political cost of their unwavering support will become increasingly untenable.